


Black Ice

by Valerie_Vancollie



Category: Numb3rs (TV)
Genre: Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Angst, Angst and Drama, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Broken Bones, Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Canon Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Challenge Response, Community: hurt_don, Concussions, Drama, Drugs, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gen, Gift Fic, Gift Work, Head Injury, Heavy Angst, Ice, Injury, Kidnapping, LiveJournal, LiveJournal Prompt, Major Character Injury, Narcotics, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, POV Don Eppes, POV Male Character, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Short, Short One Shot, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24963319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valerie_Vancollie/pseuds/Valerie_Vancollie
Summary: Don and Nikki find a lot more than mere 'suspicious activity' when checking out an anonymous tip.
Relationships: Nikki Betancourt & Don Eppes
Comments: 10
Kudos: 8





	Black Ice

**Author's Note:**

> This is an old fic being posted here for the first time now that I have an AO3 account. Unlike for my other fic, my original site for this fandom still exists and is [3695](https://valeriev84.livejournal.com/).
> 
> **Time:** Season 5  
>  **Spoilers:** _Harvest_ , _Two Daughters_ & _The Decoy Effect_  
>  **Note:** This fic was written as a birthday gift for loozy. She gave me the prompt _shattered radius_ , which I then combined with the February Clue Challenge prompts ( _Don_ , _ice_ & _outside_ ) from the [hurt!Don](https://hurt-don.livejournal.com/) comm.

Don cursed himself silently as he watched the men box up the cocaine and heroine. At the rate they were going, they'd be packed and away before Control got suspicious at their lack of communication. He'd been checking out an anonymous suspicious activity tip with Nikki when it had happened. He still wasn't quite sure what had happened, or even how, simply that it had. One minute he'd been walking along behind the manager of the building and the next he was waking up with a killer headache, hands restrained behind his back with what he strongly suspected were his own cuffs, and in the middle of undergoing an extremely thorough weapons search. From the loud protests he'd been able to hear from his left, he'd known that Nikki was receiving the same treatment.

All attempts to communicate or reason with their captors had been met with threats of further violence, so Don was left with little to do but look for ways out of their situation. His one attempt to speak with Nikki had been met with a similar response and thus all he knew of what had happened was that she felt it had been her fault given the "Sorry, Boss," she'd said when he'd first looked at her. And since she'd been behind him at the time of the attack, that meant that whoever these drug runners were, they were good. No, make that very good based on what he could see.

From the amount of drugs they had, this was clearly a major operation and yet they'd managed to keep a low profile so that all that got reported was 'suspicious activity' and not a very highly rated report it was either. Control had seemed almost reluctant to have them go out and investigate it given the time, but rules were rules and here they were, captives of a drug ring. The fact that the men were able to pack everything up so quickly meant that they were prepared and the fact that they'd hardly blinked at assaulting and imprisoning two federal agents was bad news. Very bad news, especially since none of the men seemed particularly worried about the fact that said two federal agents were currently getting good looks at not only their business, but also their faces.

A quick glance at Nikki and Don knew that she'd worked it out for herself as well. If they didn't get out of this mess or were rescued, they weren't going to survive the night.

"On your feet," Hernandez ordered as he approached them, motioning for them to rise with his gun.

The gun whose safety had been turned off earlier as he'd pressed it against Don's temple when the agent had tried to reason with him about what he was doing.

"Leave us here," Don replied. "We're no threat to you and it'll be easier for you to get away without two hostages to worry about."

"No threat to us?" Hernandez questioned with a dark laugh. "No, you're coming with us."

"That'll be the kidnapping of two federal agents you're adding to your list of felonies," Nikki stated.

"Honey, it'll be the murder of two federal agents next if you and your boss don't move those asses of yours right now."

It had been worth a shot, Don knew, even if he'd known it would never work. Hernandez struck him as a hard man who was more than willing to follow through with his threats. He had a vague recollection of seeing the man's face before as well as reading his name and figured it was probably in one of those interagency e-mails that got sent around the greater LA area, probably from the DEA. The fact that the men had been using what seemed to be their real names was yet another sign that Hernandez had no intention of letting them live.

Carefully Don obeyed the instruction, knowing that as long as they were still alive, they could find a way out. Luckily, Nikki followed his lead and allowed herself to be pulled along with him towards where the crates and boxes of drugs stood ready on small motor powered trolleys. As the trolleys were powered up and moved forward, Don kept his eyes peeled for any opportunity that they could use to their advantage. Between the sheer number of people present and the two goons who'd been assigned to watch over them, however, there didn't seem to be anything that presented them with even a glimmer of success.

On some level, Don was curious as to where Hernandez was planning on moving the whole operation on such short notice. It was clear that he must have a plan or he'd not be nearly as confident as he appeared at present. Though it wasn't his most pressing concern, the answer did factor into his calculations on how long he figured the drug lord planned on keeping them alive. He doubted that the man would be interested in revealing his new location to the feds, even two destined to die. The possibility that their murders would be traced back to the new headquarters was simply too great to risk.

The basement floor started to slope upwards and they were soon at a large set of doors which opened to the outside. Their guards stepped up close behind them and kept them back until the trolleys had been maneuvered through the doors.

"If you try anything they have orders to shoot you," Hernandez stated simply.

"The gunshots will attract attention," Nikki replied, voice smooth.

Hernandez merely laughed. "From who? No one's here this time of night."

Which was true, Don knew. It only took one prodding of the gun in his back to make him move and he stepped outside, shivering as the cold night air hit him. Los Angeles was in the midst of an unusual cold spell and his jacket had been taken from him when he'd been unconscious. Surreptitiously, he scanned the area, desperately hoping that he and Nikki would be lucky enough for there to have been some agents or an LAPD unit near enough to respond instantly to Control's announcement that there were agents in potential distress who needed immediate backup. Unfortunately, he hadn't spotted anything yet by the time he'd covered about half the distance to the vans.

Obviously Don wasn't moving fast enough for his guard's liking as the man placed his hand between Don's shoulder blades and shoved him forwards. The sudden momentum caused him to stumble as he was unable to use his arms to maintain his balance and then suddenly his feet flew out from under him as he hit a patch of ice. The realization of what was happening had hardly registered before he hit the ground hard, and his intended curse turned into a sharp cry of pain as agony exploded in his left forearm. A crack accompanied the fall and he felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach even as the familiar nausea and agony of a broken bone washed over him. The pain was white hot, sizzling along his nerves and tearing a scream out of him before he could even think to suppress it, the unexpectedness of it throwing him off-guard. He'd been mentally preparing himself to be shot or hit, not to have his arm broken. At least that's what he'd assumed had happened.

"Don!"

It took a few seconds for Don to realize that it was his name that had been shouted by a very worried sounding Nikki. He tried to focus, but the stabbing pain from his arm was nearly all encompassing and it was all that he could do to remain aware instead of blacking out. It was a bad break, he knew dully, if it was even just one break, from the pain he wouldn't be surprised if he'd broken it in several places or even shattered the bone completely. It wasn't his first broken bone, not by a long shot, and he could clearly tell that it was worse from any he'd had before.

"Get up," a voice barked at him. "Now!"

The order was followed by the prodding of a boot to his ribs and this time Don's vision did black out as the movement rocked him backwards onto his arms. He didn't think he lost consciousness, not entirely, as he was far too aware of the blinding pain or the grinding movement of bone on bone. It did eclipse all else, though, and he knew some time had passed before he was able to bring his attention back to his surroundings. At least the urgency of the situation allowed him to shove back the pain a bit as the adrenaline flooded his system.

"Just leave him here," Nikki was busy arguing. "You still have me should you need a hostage. He's in no condition to do anything, leave him behind."

"That or I could just put him down," Hernandez stated as he once again removed the safety from his Colt with an ominous click. "That's what they do to wounded dogs, isn't it? They put them out of their misery. Is that what you want me to do, Honey? Put him out of his misery?"

"No!" Nikki exclaimed.

Don was vaguely aware of her stepping between him and Hernandez. He fought off the pain as much as he could, knowing that he couldn't afford to be distracted right now. Though he was pretty sure that Hernandez was posturing at this point, he knew that as soon as they were a little more secluded, he'd end up with a bullet in his head if he was slowing them down. As long as they still had Nikki, he was more effort than he was worth if he didn't manage to keep up. Not that he thought they'd want to keep either of them around for any length of time, but even a little time was better than nothing. Time was hope at this point.

"I'm good, I can walk," Don forced out through clenched teeth.

Although a part of him wanted to prolong the scene as long as possible in the hopes that their backup would arrive, another part of him knew not to push Hernandez. If they did, then he might well end up with a bullet to the head here and now, location and consequences be damned. The man was a drug lord and a pretty powerful one based on the amount and types of drugs he was peddling, so Don knew that he already had far too much blood on his hands to care about one more, federal agent or not.

Mentally bracing himself for the pain, Don used his right arm to roll to his knees, fighting not to black out again as the movement jarred his arm. Only the knowledge of what would happen if he failed spurred him on and he gritted his teeth, ignoring the laughter of the men about him.

"Think we can make him scream again?" one asked.

"I'd like to see if we can make him cry," another stated.

"Oh, I like that idea. The big, bad Fed calling for mommy," the first replied.

"Come on, Boss, just ignore them," Nikki was suddenly at his side, bending down so she was more level with him. "Grab my arm and I'll help pull you up."

It was awkward, with both of their hands cuffed behind their backs, but it worked better than if Don would have tried it on his own. The effort caused all of the bone fragments, and it felt like there were countless ones, to grind together, resulting in more excruciating pain, but at least now he was on his feet, if leaning heavily on Nikki. He felt nauseous and lightheaded, but together they made it to the back of the van. Luckily for him, Hernandez's men had erected makeshift ramps to get the boxes and crates into the vans easily, so he didn't have to worry about any of the men 'helping' him into it.

"Over there," Guard Number Two, Nikki's guard, ordered, indicating a small space next to some seats.

It figured that they'd still make them sit on the floor, probably wanted to keep the seats for themselves. Lowering himself was ten times worse than getting up, but with Nikki's help, Don managed it. The effort left him seeing white spots, though, and breathing like he'd just finished a lengthy foot chase.

"Are you okay?" Nikki asked.

"Just peachy."

"Sorry, stupid question, let me try again. Are you going to go all swooning damsel on me?"

"Nah... wouldn't want to... steal your thing."

"Just as soon as you're better, I'm going to smack you for that, Eppes."

"Try."

"Shut up!" Guard Number One ordered, taking his seat.

Not wanting to anger the man, who sounded suspiciously like the voice that had advocated making him scream earlier, Don did as he was told and closed his eyes. Was that Rodriguez? One of the two guards was called Rodriguez and he thought it was this one, though he'd been face down on the floor when Hernandez had addressed the man by name.

The van started up and pulled out, taking with it Don's last hope of aid from Control. What was taking them so long? Yes, he wasn't quite sure how much time had passed since he or Nikki had last contacted Control, but it should have been long enough for them to have missed a scheduled check in. Backup should have been alerted and on the way. Maybe they'd just been unlucky and no one was nearby, it wasn't a particularly busy area of town after all.

Then the van took an unexpected turn, sending Don sliding sideways to slam into a crate and everything went dark.

* * *

The first thing Don felt when he regained consciousness was pain. His arm was on fire, throbbing in time with his heartbeat, and his head felt like it was being split in two. He caught the groan that tried to escape and focused on keeping his breathing even, trying to determine what was going on around him without giving away the fact that he was now awake.

The van was still driving, both the sound of the engine and the vibrations from the movement made that clear, the latter especially as Don could feel them in his arm where it felt like the various ends of shattered bone were grinding together. He also suspected that the same people were present around him as he thought he could detect breathing from three different persons. It was all that he could do not to jump when a cool hand touched his forehead, accompanied with the sound of metal clinking on metal.

It took Don a moment, but he realized that it was Nikki checking on him and that someone had must have recuffed her hands so that they were in front of her. The thought made him smile as he finally opened his eyes. It was their second big mistake, right after not outright killing them. It continually amazed him how often the criminals they chased underestimated both Nikki and Liz or any other female FBI agent for that matter. He wasn't complaining as it really worked to their advantage, but he didn't understand it. Any agent, whether male or female, was trained at Quantico and had to maintain their skills.

As he oriented himself, Don realized that he'd been pulled up next to Nikki and was lying on his side, arms still cuffed behind his back. That figured, Nikki they underestimated enough to recuff her while awake, but him they kept restrained as he was despite his injury.

"I tried," Nikki whispered.

"Have they said anything else?"

"No, nothing."

"How long was I out?"

"Quite a while, I think you hit your head again as well as your arm. You probably have a concussion."

"I know I do," Don winced as the throbbing got worse when he tried to sit up. "Any idea where we are?"

"No, I tried to keep track, but we took too many turns."

Don tried not to let the information get to him, but it was hard. Their situation just seemed to keep getting worse and he couldn't see how they'd get out of this one. No weapons, both cuffed, him injured, criminals who'd kill them before the night was through and an unknown location. He tried to stop the thought, but really, could their situation get much worse?

Nikki reached out and grabbed hold of his shoulder as the van began to slow, thereby preventing him from sliding into the crate yet again.

"Thanks. If you get the opportunity to do so, run," Don ordered softly.

"I'm not leaving you behind," Nikki replied, voice fierce.

"There's no point in both of us getting killed. Besides, you might be able to get help, just look at the license plates before you go."

The approach of the guards cut off any reply Nikki would have made, but Don could clearly read her displeasure in her eyes. He could only hope that her stubbornness didn't overcome his instructions should an opportunity arise. He was in no condition to make a fast break and he didn't want to be the cause of her death. Besides, if Nikki got away, Hernandez was more likely to keep him alive until he felt safe. The man was clearly a little nervous and in need of reassurance or he'd have killed them when he'd first captured them. No, Nikki's escape was the best thing for them at the present. Not only would his life expectancy go up, but it would provide vital information those searching for them would need.

Don already knew that a lockdown of the immediate area around the building would have gone into effect as soon as their backup had arrived to find them missing, but that had been too late to catch them. The next step would be an expanded alert, especially once forensic evidence from the basement started to come in. He could remember the different steps only all too well from when Hoyle had taken Megan. Anything that they could do to help narrow down that search would significantly improve the odds of both of them making it out of this alive.

Light flooded the back of the van when its rear doors were opened and Don had to squint in order to see. The cold air rushing in told him that they'd stopped somewhere outside even before he was able to see enough to confirm it. From the look of things, they were out in the desert somewhere. What was Hernandez planning? Was this a stop to kill them and dispose of their bodies before moving on? But then were was the light coming from?

"Get them out here," Hernandez's voice ordered.

Nikki helped him to his feet and kept a hand on his good arm as he swayed a little, dizziness and nausea welling up inside of him worse than before. Oh, yeah, he definitely had a concussion on top of the broken arm. This was so not his day and to think, it had started out so well.

"Move it," Guard Number Two commanded.

Not wanting to give them any reason to shove him again, Don started forwards carefully. At the back of the van, he let Nikki by so that she could steady him if he stumbled stepping out of the vehicle as the ramp from earlier had not been placed up against their van again. It grated that he needed the help, but he knew it was better than ending up on the ground again.

"What the hell is this?" an angry voice demanded.

An angry American voice. After the thick Latin American accents of Hernandez and his crew, the difference was startling. Don turned his head towards the voice and felt a shock of recognition as he caught sight of a blond man standing next to Hernandez in the middle of the brightly illuminated patch of desert. The man was fairly nondescript, both in appearance and clothing, but Don knew he'd seen him before and he also knew where. It had been at the DEA last month when he'd gone over to complete the remaining paperwork for the joint case they'd run last year.

The agent he'd worked with, Marcus, had pointed him out to Don, stating that he was the newest member of his team. Marcus had been quite proud of himself for having managed to lure the undercover expert away from the Chicago office. The realization sent a rush of relief through Don even though he was still well aware of how dangerous the situation was. Just because there was one DEA agent present didn't mean that there were others. Barnes could be here on his own, in deep in an attempt to ferret out the roots of one of the local drug pipelines. Still, the revelation gave him some hope and he definitely planned to use the information to his advantage even if the DEA might be pissed at them for ruining an op.

"A couple of rats that poked their noses where they don't belong," Hernandez explained.

A quick glance around told Don that they must be a ways out into the desert as there didn't seem to be any signs of civilization about, though he couldn't see much through the bright illumination of the car headlights. Barnes and his men- DEA agents? real drug runners?- had come in several cars and a truck, all of which stood facing them, their lights on, most likely so they could examine the drugs and keep an eye on Hernandez's men.

"Cops?" Barnes exclaimed in angry surprise. "You brought a pair of cops?"

"Feds, actually," Hernandez replied as he passed the other man one of their IDs. "And I thought you might appreciate the opportunity for a little revenge, given what they did to your brother."

Beside him, Don could feel Nikki stiffen and he realized that he'd have to warn her before anything happened and she tried something against the wrong person in a desperate attempt to get away.

"Easy," Don whispered softly, pretending to sag against her. He couldn't risk saying anything revealing in case someone heard them. "Mexico," he said instead, knowing it was the codeword she used with Colby and David.

"Boss?"

"Follow my lead."

"Really?" Barnes questioned, eyes suddenly lighting up in an unpleasant way.

If he didn't know any better, Don would be getting quite worried now just from that. Marcus had been right, Barnes really was a master at acting. That look promised a lot of pain.

"Yes," Hernandez confirmed as he gestured at their guards to bring them closer.

Two feet away from the other men, Don and Nikki were forced to their knees in the sand and Don had to force himself to remain focused as fire lanced up his arm at the rough treatment. Barnes made a thoughtful noise as he stepped up to them and put his hand in Don's hair, forcing his head back for a better look.

"Brother?" Don questioned, choosing his words carefully. "You mean Marcus? 'Cause you kinda look like him."

Because he was looking for it, Don caught the slight tightening of muscles around Barnes' eyes, but otherwise the man's face gave nothing away. Well, at least not of his surprise, anger, however, flooded his features as the man's fingers twisted cruelly in his hair, forcing his head back further yet.

"You knew him?" Barnes hissed, leaning further down. "You one of those pigs that interrogated him?"

"Yeah," Don replied, twisting his upper torso so as to take the strain off his arm and taking his cues from Barnes, not wanting to say anything to contradict the cover story the man had already given Hernandez. "He cried like a baby, called for you actually. It was pathetic."

The resulting blow was a master of disguise, almost all sound and no force. Don snapped his head back anyway, the momentum sending him off balance and crashing into Nikki. He hissed as the impact aggravated his arm yet again.

"Don!" Nikki called out, trying to roll with his movement so as to control how they fell.

"DEA," Don whispered into her ear, his vision darkening slightly.

"Not so tough now are you, Fed?" Barnes sneered. "That blow wasn't all that hard."

"Ah, I think it was the movement of his arm that caused the reaction," Hernandez stated, stepping close enough so that he could prod Don's shattered arm with his foot and causing an involuntary cry of pain. "He broke it earlier."

"I see," Barnes stated.

"Leave him alone!" Nikki demanded, shifting them so that she was between her boss and Hernandez.

"This one's got spunk," Barnes observed, reaching down to grab Nikki's arm and hauling her to her feet.

What transpired next was a bit hazy for Don as it all happened so fast and he was still fighting off the darkness that threatened to rush in following Hernandez's savage treatment. There were shouts of "DEA! Drop your weapons!" and then all hell broke lose. Barnes had clearly passed Nikki a weapon as he could make out her voice, demanding that someone drop their weapon, but he tuned it out, rolling to his knees as he took in the situation directly around him. The two guards who'd kept watch over them lay either dead or dying on the sand. As the immediate threat to both the two prisoners and the undercover agent, they'd have been taken down instantly at the slightest sign of resistance. The rest of Hernandez's men had either fled to cover behind the vans or had taken off entirely.

Hernandez himself seemed nowhere to be seen at first glance, but then Don caught sight of him hiding behind one of the crates of drugs that his men had unloaded while Barnes had been busy with Nikki and himself. The look of fury on his face was worrying in and of itself, but combined with the Colt which was once again in his hands, it was lethal. A quick glance to the left and Don had no doubt who the drug lord's intended target was for there was Barnes, helping a fellow agent who'd been hit. Knowing the man wouldn't leave a teammate, Don did the only thing he could.

With an effort, he managed to force himself to his feet and ran at Hernandez. Not having expected an attack from that direction, the man was slow to respond and Don managed to ram his right shoulder into the man's stomach and chest, his momentum smashing them both into the crate of drugs.

"Barnes! Nikki!" Don shouted immediately, knowing he wouldn't last long.

He took advantage of the drug lord's need to catch his breath in order to kick Hernandez's gun away, but then the man was on him, easily taking him down.

"Don't even think about it!" Nikki warned, appearing beside them and bringing her gun up to Hernandez's head. "Let him go and back away, slowly."

Briefly Don was sure that Hernandez would ignore Nikki and pull on his left arm. The man definitely had a good enough grip on his wrist to do precisely that.

"Don't add torture to your list of crimes," Nikki said softly.

It was almost as if she was afraid to tip the drug lord in the wrong direction and Don could definitely understand that. He'd been there himself, terrified of doing or saying the wrong thing and pushing them too far and getting his partner injured, or even more injured as would be the case here. The only thing he could fault her for was saying something that was a lie. Given the drug lord's earlier deliberate aggravation of his injury, he could already be charged with torture, especially since the act had been witnessed by several other federal agents.

Either Nikki's words or the cessation of other gunfire and the approach of several more agents including Barnes convinced Hernandez that the situation was hopeless as he released Don's arm without inflicting further damage before raising his hands. Instantly two of the DEA agents came forward to handcuff Hernandez while others stepped up to both Don and Nikki.

"Let's see about getting these cuffs off, shall we?" Barnes said as he relieved Nikki of her borrowed gun before freeing her hands.

"Can you get up?" a different agent asked Don.

"Yes," Don replied, doing so with a little help.

The curses he heard when the man got a good look at his arm didn't do anything to reassure Don, but he'd already known it was bad.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Barnes questioned.

Don opened his mouth to reply but then snapped it shut with a hiss of pain as the handcuffs were removed from his wrists.

"Sorry."

Not trusting himself to speak, Don merely nodded as he tried to decide whether it was better to have his arm where it was or attempt to bring it around front so he could cradle it against his chest. He wasn't sure if he could move it that far without losing consciousness.

"He was hit on the head with the butt of a gun and then he hit it again in the van, blacking out both times," Nikki said, crouching down. "Hey, Boss, how're you feeling?"

"Terrible," Don forced out.

What the hell, he couldn't really keep his arm behind his back the whole time. Not only was it more easily reinjured there, but it put even more strain on his already aching shoulder and would hinder his balance. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself before starting to move his arm.

* * *

"-stubborn when he wants to be," Nikki's voice floated into Don's awareness.

It took him a moment to remember what had happened and then he groaned. Obviously moving his arm had been a bad idea.

"Agent Eppes?" someone inquired. "Are you with us again?"

"Yeah," Don uttered, blinking slowly and finding that he'd been moved to the back of one of the cars.

"They're going to have a field day at the hospital with the number of times you've lost consciousness today," Nikki stated.

"Your sympathy is so touching."

"Sarcasm, that's a good sign," it was the same voice who'd asked if he was alright earlier.

A quick glance in the voice's direction revealed an older man in the process of putting away a medical field kit. Glancing down, Don found his arm wrapped up and tucked into a sling.

"Don't even think of moving that again," the man warned. "I've done what I can for it here, but you really need to have a doctor look at it, it's not a clean break."

"Yeah, I know, it didn't feel like one," Don winced.

The recovery time alone for this would put him out of commission for weeks and then there was the physio and recertification to think about.

"I'd give you something for the pain, but with your concussion..."

"Don't worry, I get it."

The trip back was going to hurt, but it would be miles better than the trip here in the van.

"Shall I call your father or Robin so that they can meet you at the hospital?" Nikki inquired.

"Nah, I don't want to wake them."

"They're not going to be very happy with you when they find out," Nikki pointed out. "And I don't think you're hiding this one from them, Boss."

"Fine, call them, but don't scare them, no other details."

"Okay."

"So, what was going on here anyway? Did we blow a DEA op?"

"No, you just forced us to change our timing a little," Barnes explained as he joined them. "Good to see you awake again."

"No argument from me there," Don replied. "Timing?"

"We were going to arrest them after we'd checked the drugs and confirmed it was all real. Well that and once we had the situation a little more under control."

Don winced, remembering the firefight. "Was anyone seriously hurt?"

"No, just a minor graze, nothing worse than your injuries."

"That's good."

"And speaking of injuries, thanks for what you did there. Hernandez has good aim, he'd have killed either Tanner or myself if he'd been able to take that shot."

"It was the least I could do. He'd definitely have killed Nikki and myself if it wasn't for your operation here."

"Well, we'll just have to file it away as a win for interagency cooperation then."

"I can get behind that," Don laughed.

June 2010


End file.
